FateStay Night: Ascension
by cheyshire
Summary: Ten years have passed since Shirou Emiya participated in the Holy Grail War, and he has since left to go study magic elsewhere. For the others left in Fuyuki, life continues on as normal- until one day, red markings begin appearing on people's hands, and they feel compelled to try magic. Old faces begin to reappear as alliances are formed...though one of the participants just doesn
1. Prologue

A/N: I apologize for the repetitiveness in here, but it's kinda needed, and the incantation is taken from the wiki, so credit to whoever typed it all out, and hope y'all understand and enjoy! (Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated!)*

"You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, o keeper of the balance, I summon thee!" Amiah had her eyes closed tight as she read the incantation, afraid of what might happen. After all, this entire situation was so...weird? No, that wasn't the right word to use. Wrong? Awful?

Sighing, she resigned herself to opening her eyes to scan her cramped apartment. She had cleared out her tiny living room, the couch on the side opposite of the TV, the table on the couch, her DVD collection completely trashed in the corner...nothing different from what she did.

"Is the circle too small?" She mumbled, then shook her head fiercely. "No, this was just some stupid prank by my friends. That's all it has to be." Exhaling, she was glad she didn't open the gates to hell or anything. Glancing at the back of her hand, she saw that the mark was still there. She tiredly glared at it before glancing towards the clock. It was one in the morning, no way was she cleaning this mess tonight.

Amiah essentially blew out the candles she had added for dramatic effect with a yawn, then stumbled to her room. Upon kicking her door open, she was greeted with what she would call a model. Starstruck, she could only state at him. His short blonde hair was lighter than his tanned skin, and his blue grey eyes were striking. He was holding a book in one hand, with the other clenched so tightly around the handle of his sword that his hand looked like a ghost's.

He seemed to notice Amiah, and pointed his sword in her direction.

"Why is there a picture of my dragon on this book?" He demanded. Amiah paled.

"No fucking way," she gasped. The intruder tilted his head slightly in curiousity and confusion. "You're Eragon," she said slowly. "And I think I'm your Master."

XXXXX

"You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, o keeper of the balance!" A figure began to form from the almost blinding light emitted from the summoning sigil. He closed one eye in an attempt to make the light bearable, as he didn't want to miss a single second of his success. When the light died down, a lithe beauty was left in it's place. Her long, pale blonde hair was tied in a ponytail, with a few strands left out to frame her sharp face and amber eyes. She had dark armour, which he assumed was light. As serious as the grave, yet with an air of grace, Senji knew he had summoned a seasoned warrior.

"Master," she greeted in a calm yet serious voice. He greeted her with a slight bow.

"I am Senji Sagita," he introduced himself, not removing his eyes from her. He hated to admit it, but she scared him.

"I am Brunhilde, the eldest of the valkyries," she replied, pausing only to think of something. "I appear to be a Rider this time." A smug grin appeared on Senji's face at her words. This war was as good as his.

XXXXX

"You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, o keeper of the balance!" Miyuki somewhat cowered behind her arms as she shielded her face from the blinding light. It worked though! That's all she cared about. She could finally stick it to those who tormented her.

"Hmm, a Caster this time?" A male's voice mused. "interesting."

Lowering her hands away from her face, Miyuki took in the sight of her Servant, in all his golden glory.

"No way..." He seemed to notice her presence, and scowled.

"Mongrel, who gave you permission to behold me?" Reflexively, she ducked her head down. A slight purr of amusement resonated around the empty seaside warehouse she had chosen to attempt a summon in. "You're my Master, it seems." A sigh. "You may look upon me, then."

Returning her gaze to him, she slowly looked him up from toe to head. She knew exactly who it was. The style of clothing he favoured was Mesopotamian, and his attitude made it all the more obvious.

"Are you trying to figure out who I am?" He asked, his red eyes narrowing on her in a condescending manner. While he might have asked her, he somehow made it seem more like a command.

"No," Miyuki replied in a small voice. "You are King of Kings, your domain is over everything, you own all you desire," she took a breath, finally staring right back into his fierce red gaze, though now it seemed softened by intrigue. "You are Gilgamesh."

Chuckling, he folded his arms. "It seems you are well versed in your history." Despite it obviously being a compliment, she couldn't help but feel insulted. "What would be the name of my Master?"

"Miyuki," she replied in as loud a voice as she could muster, "Miyuki Asano. But everyone calls me Rokudenashii, so if you want-"

"Mongrel, you summoned me. You are far superior to those who call you that for this feat alone." Gilgamesh cut her off with his voice and a look of pure evil. "We'll make them regret those words."

XXXXX

"You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, o keeper of the balance!" Faeena blinked, but nothing happened.

"Knew it was bullshit," she muttered to herself, kicking the book away. "At least now whoever gets this place after me will be scared shitless when they come up here," she chuckled to herself as she descended down the stairs from her attic. "No way in hell I'm getting down on my hands and knees to scrub that off the floor."

"Scrub what off the floor?" Yelping in fear, Faeena jumped away from the foot of the staircase. "And you're supposed to be my Master, huh?" Looking towards the source of the voice to see a tall yet fairly muscular female. She was scantily dressed, and the most noticeable feature of her was the skull on her headband.

"Wait...it worked?" Faeena asked incredulously. The older girl raised an eyebrow. "I did it for shits and giggles, but holy shit it worked!" Jumping up, Faeena inspected the other girl closer.

"I take it you know who I am?"

"Of course, you're my Servant!"

"Class?" The Servant asked.

"I would say Caster, but your sword screams Assassin."

"Name?" It was easy to see she was mildly amused now.

"Zola," Faeena finished excitedly.

"You are correct. Will you disclose your name?"

"I'm Faeena, Faeena Utka."

"Pleased to meet you, Master."

"Holy shit, my favourite video game character is my Servant!" Faeena paused. "Uh, I mean, nice to meet you too, Assassin?" She offered awkwardly. Zola simply shook her head slightly.

"Exactly how old are you?"

XXXXX

"You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, o keeper of the balance!" Pausing for but a moment, Shinji then continued the chant. He needed the most powerful Servant to win this. "Yet, thou serves with thine eyes clouded in chaos. Thou, bound in the cage of madness. I am he who commands those chains. Come forth and serve me!" His ego got in the way of the incantation being textbook perfect, but he was sure the last line wouldn't mess with it _that_ much.

The light that emitted from the ground was much different from when Rider had been summoned ten years ago, much darker. He didn't have to look away from a blinding light, instead he could stare right at the circle as something- no someone rose from the ground. Shinji's narrowed as he recognized the female figure that was under the hood. His command sigil pulsated, sensing Shinji's desire. A dark grin split across his face, raising his right hand to show his intention. His Servant only mumbled something about a shirt, and Shinji Matou realized he wouldn't even have to use a command sigil.

She was completely under his control.


	2. Chapter 1

"C'mon sis, you can't tell me you aren't excited! We're gonna be Masters!" Luciel all but squealed at his sister. Anabiel sighed quietly.

"I can, and I'll do it again- I'm not excited at all," she mumbled in response.

"But why not, Ana? We could have anything!" Sighing again, she put down her chalk and looked at her brother. She'd let his naiveté go unchecked for now.

"I'm ready," she told him, causing him to ignore that line of conversation for now.

"About time!" He exlaimed, despite finishing his only seconds prior. Scrambling over to his circle, Luciel took his position, staring across their two circles at his sister. "On your mark?" Nodding, the twins took a breath in unison.

"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg," they began, chanting in unison as their circles light up in accordance with their mana being used.

"The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate." Each held their hand out, dripping a drop of mixed ingredients in time with their incantation.

"Shut, fill. Shut, fill. Shut, fill. Shut, fill. Shut, fill. Repeat every five times. Simply, shatter once filled. Set, I announce." Their circles changed color as the last of the liquid hit the circle.

"Your self is under me, my fate is in your sword. In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer." Ana could tell her brother was getting more and more excited, if that was possible. His voice had more bravado in it, and was getting slightly louder.

"Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead." A breeze was picking up now, though it was easy to tell the summoning caused it. They were in their family basement, which held no windows, so it was impossible the wind came from outside.

"You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, o keeper of the balance!" A small shockwave of energy came from each of the circles, and the twins were pushed back from their circles, covering their faces from the harsh kickback of mana mixed with dust.

"Damnit, Luciel, I told you to dust down here!" Anabiel snapped, waving her hand in front of her face in an attempt to disperse the dust.

"Careful Master, there's a faker down here," a voice that came from directly in front of her said, the obviously male voice dripping in disdain.

"Should I warn my Master of a scrawny dog?" A different male's voice rebuked.

"Ana, we did it! We're Masters!"

Opening her eyes, Anabiel took in the scene before her. A man clad in blue stood between her and a man dressed in red, with her brother behind him. Their weapons were visible and aimed at each other, so it was easy for her to identify her Servant's class.

"Lancer, he's an ally," Anabiel stated calmly. "You can stand down for now."

"Only if Archer does as well," Lancer replied over his shoulder.

"Oh, um, Archer? Stand down please, we're on the same side," Luciel told his servant, obviously as confused as Anabiel was. "But if you're an Archer, where's your bow?"

The two men nodded to each other, and put their weapons down from their battle stances.

"He's special," Lancer said dismissively, turning towards his Master. "Finally, a beautiful Master has summoned me. You have no idea how many hideous, double crossing, back stabbing old men came before you."

But Anabiel couldn't respond. She was stuck in place by his captivating red eyes.

"Looks like your perverted ways silenced your Master," Archer teased from behind him.

"Do you two know each other or something?" Luciel asked, causing Lancer to take his eyes off Anabiel and look over his shoulder at her twin.

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Archer replied. "He is Cú Chulainn, and we have crossed paths before due to the Holy Grail War."

"That's not fair, you've never told me who you are," Lancer complained.

"That's because every time I've been summoned, something has gone wrong and I don't remember who I am," he replied dismissively. "This time, I think I was summoned too close to you because I feel the sudden urge to piss on trees," Archer finished dryly.

"But I remember who I am, so it must be your Master's fault," Lancer shot back.

"Hey! Don't bring me into this!" Luciel snapped.

"Cú, please don't bring my brother into this," Anabiel mumbled, feeling weaker by the second. Her Servant looked back at her, a look of amusement and surprise on his face as she rested on the wall.

"Ana, I told you we should've done it the time when your mana was at it's peak, not mine!" Her twin rushed to her side, but she simply brushed him off.

"I'm fine," she told him. "Besides, it's 4 in the morning, and neither of us has slept. We should both turn in for the night."

"Morning," Luciel corrected lamely. Anabiel reached over and weakly slugged him in the shoulder.

"Cú, come help me." Offering his arm to her, she took it and rested against him. "Luciel, you should get to know your Servant better. We'll discuss strategies tomorrow."

"Alright, Ana, get some sleep, sweet dreams," Luciel smiled, giving her a small wave.

"Lancer, try not to be a pervert," Archer told the other Servant.

"I'm a flirt, not a rapist," Lancer replied through gritted teeth, trying not to instigate for Anabiel's sake- a fact that didn't go unnoticed by her.

"Thank you," she told her Servant as he slowly walked with her to her room. He offered only a wink in response as they moved through the small mansion.

"I take it you're a mage family?" He asked as she studied him. His blue hair was tied in a ponytail, and longer than hers. She was a bit jealous.

"Yeah, but we were the youngest children," Anabiel told him.

"Were?" He was also perceptive, not many people caught on to that detail when she told them.

"Yes, were. Now we're the only ones," she replied. "Our parents and two elder siblings died in a fire in our house in England, and we were sent here to live with infertile old family friends, but they died a few months after we arrived in a car accident. My brother and I were left with both fortunes, so we're set for life, but he still wanted to participate in the Holy Grail War." A sigh escaped her lips, and she pointed at a door once it came into view. They were still on the stairs though, but she was too drained to climb any more. Lancer seemed to catch on, and picked her up bridal style.

"And now I'm here," He finished her story for her. He frowned a little, though his eyes seemed more thoughtful than for just one reason. "Your brother...does he know how to win?"

"I was afraid you'd ask that," Anabiel told him as she turned the doorknob for him. Walking into the room, Lancer quietly shut the door with his foot and placed her on the bed. "I'm going to help him win. If you don't agree with me, I have no problem with using a command-"

"Not that again, no thank you," he cut her off with a wave of his hand. She blinked, curiousity brimming in her blue eyes. "I have no problem forfeiting my life for a beautiful Master." Looking away, Anabiel felt a slight blush rise to her face. "I take it you wish to sleep now?" She could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Yes. Please keep watch, and try not to fight Archer," she ordered.

"Yes, Master." With that, she could sense his presence leave her room, and she let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. Anabiel laid down, pulled the blanket up to her chin and curled up as she stared out the window, waiting for sleep to overcome her.

XXXXX

"Archer," Lancer greeted his ally on the roof.

"Lancer," he returned calmly.

"How does it feel, being back again just ten years later?" The blue haired man asked.

"Wrong," Archer mumbled, his arms folded as he sat crossed legged, staring off towards the front of the house. Lancer copied his position, though with his back just a few inches away from the others'.

"I miss them, surprisingly," he admitted first. "Not my Master of course, but yours and Sabers'."

"I would like to check on Rin," Archer said after a moment of silence. Lancer could feel the emotional turmoil within his companion.

"I can hold down the fort while you do that," he replied.

"Thank you, and don't-"

"I won't," Lancer responded, subtly urging him to hurry before the sun rose. And then he was alone.


	3. Chapter 2

Anabiel was still staring at the window, curled up in a tight ball. Sleep was a luxury her mind could barely indulge in, but at least her body could rest, in a sense. She exhaled and stretched out before pushing herself up. Glancing around her room, she saw no sign of Lancer. Pursing her lips slightly, she decided to take a quick shower.

By the time she got out, she knew Lancer was waiting outside the door that connected the bathroom to her room. She dried her hair off with her magic of choice, and wrapped a towel around her torso.

"A pyromancer, eh?" He asked as soon as she opened the door.

"Mmh hmm, what of it?" She replied, going straight to her walk-in closet.

"I know some fiery tricks myself." Her back was turned to him, but she knew he winked. Rolling her eyes, she cursed her luck.

"Cú, can you not?" She asked sweetly, though the sugar dripping from her voice was most definitely poisonous.

"Why do you call me that?" He asked, adjusting his leaning position against the wall into a more comfortable one.

"Hm?"

"By my name?" He sighed, knowing full well she wasn't focusing on him.

"Because it's your name. While I'll never mention it in front of an enemy, since we're safe here, I'll call you Cú," she told him, rummaging through her clothes, a small frown on her face.

"But why?"

"Because there is an endless amount of how many Lancers can be summoned. There's only one you," she pointed out dryly.

"All fun aside, how do you plan to win?" Lancer asked, sighing inwardly as he changed the subject.

"Kill the other Masters." Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Lancer nod solemnly.

"I mean besides the obvious, though."

"What's the point in me explaining twice?" She pulled a hanger with a long sleeved black shirt, and tossed it over to her Servant. He caught it with an amused expression.

"You spent all that time looking for a plain black shirt?" Lancer asked incredulously.

"That shirt may be black, but it's far from plain. It's been reinforced to give more protection than normal clothes, yet still be light and breathable. As you are familiar with magic, you should know that," Anabiel chided.

By the time he was done inspecting the shirt, and seeing that she was indeed right, a pair of jeans was soaring over and landed on his face.

"You could've at least given me a-" Lancer trailed off as he pulled the black pants off his face. His Master was getting dressed in her undergarments, her back towards him. Scars littered her body, and before he could speak, she was walking towards him. He gulped slightly, trying not to make a remark or blush as she took her clothes from him and dressed.

"Let's go," Anabiel told him. Mutely, he nodded, silenced by the authority this girl had despite her age. Lancer knew he wouldn't be able to erase the image of his Master walking towards him in only her underwear for at least the rest of the day.

"Ana! Good morning!" Luciel greeted, waving at her from the bottom of the stairs. A sulking Archer could be seen a few feet behind him, staring out a window.

"Good morning Luciel," she replied, then looked at Archer. "Good morning, Archer." The red robed man merely grunted in response, folding his arms.

"So sis, what's the plan?" Anabiel looked into her brother's amber eyes, seeing only joy and excitement blazing within them. Walking past him, she ruffled his red hair.

"Breakfast," she replied simply in a non-negotiable tone. Groaning, her brother followed her, their Servants slowly following after.

XXXXX

Breakfast passed silently, as Luciel was too busy hurrying through it, most likely to start going through plans.

"Hey Archer, why are you gloomier than yesterday?" Luciel asked, making up for his previous silence as they made their way to the library. The broody Servant seemed to mull something over before responding.

"What do you know of the Tohsakas?"

"If you're asking whether or not a Tohsaka could be a Master, the answer is no. The last one died ten years ago," Anabiel replied.

"Yeah, our parents got a letter about it, since they were one of the oldest Magus bloodlines," Luciel added thoughtfully. "We weren't supposed to know about it, but our oldest brother, Zachariah, stole it and read it to us under candlelight."

"We thought it was a scary story at the time," the sister explained as she pushed the door to the library open. "She had been found in a pool of her own blood, her eyes red, and some sort of sigil in her own blood on her right hand." The air around them grew stale as the four of them seemed to come to the same conclusion.

"It...she drew command seals, didn't she?" Luciel asked quietly. Archer seemed to flinch, and looked away from them all.

"So uh," Lancer spoke up, "Why not focus on this war?"

"Right," Anabiel agreed. Walking over to a bookshelf, she pulled a book.

"How predictable," her Servant mumbled as a hidden passageway.

"They loved clichés," Luciel mused, fondly remembering their late caretakers as the four descended into the secret section of the library, the door behind them closing as they continued down the stairs.

"Far away from prying eyes," Archer noted. "Good." Lancer gave his Servant kin a sidelong glance, but was only met with the usual stoic front.

"So, how we gonna win, sis?" Luciel asked, sitting on the floor. Anabiel leaned against the only desk in the room, and the Servants stayed near the door.

"We have two Servants at our disposal, and both appear to be useful at close to long range. Together, they will easily win against the others, so long as they don't team up against us." Pausing, Anabiel pursed her lips thoughtfully. "However, there are only two Servants they should never go up against by themselves-"

"Caster and Bezerker!" Luciel cut her off cheerfully. Since she was facing him, she dared not let her face betray her slight annoyance, and took comfort in the fact the Servants rolled their eyes for her.

"That's correct. Bezerker and Caster are the wild cards of any war. They can be either very powerful or mediorce at best," Anabiel told him. "Now, since there's no established sanctuary, we don't know if the other Masters have been chosen and summoned, we need to do recon when night falls."

"What do we do in the meantime?" Her brother tilted his head in curiousity. She responded by turning to the desk and rifling through some papers.

"I'm going to set up a link between us so we can so we can communicate without speaking," Anabiel told him, examining the papers. "Where did I put it?"

"Wait, so like, telepathy?" Luciel asked.

"Yes and no, because it's magic, not a talent," Archer sighed, disdain seeping into his voice. His Master frowned a bit.

"Got it," the only female in the room declared. "Thankfully, we share the same blood, so it will be easier. Now, all we have to do..."

XXXXX

"It's six," Archer noted as the two magi in the room finished another fist to fist sparing match. While neither of them had a magic crest in their possesion, they were able to put some extra power behind their hits with their own mana, though it left them a bit drained. They were building up their endurance as well as their skill. The Servants were mildly impressed with their Masters.

"Time to go!" Luciel grinned, going to the wall behind the desk.

"Another entrance into here?" Lancer questioned as he stood beside his Master.

"This house is built next to a rock face," Anabiel explained, folding her arms as Luciel fumbled around the wall, looking for the right block to push in. "It was easy to build, easy to hide." Lancer nodded in agreement.

"Ah ha!" The other twin exclaimed upon finding the right block.

"Finally," Archer huffed, following his eager Master out.

"It seems the war has begun," Lancer mused. Anabiel raised an eyebrow at the cryptic way he worded it, but said nothing else. They followed the other two out into the fresh night air, not knowing what the night would contain.


End file.
